Existing-home sales rose 4.2% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million -- the highest rate since November 2009, when a buyer tax credit deadline approached -- pointing to a continuing recovery, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Sales of existing homes in May were 12.9% higher than during the same period in the prior year. Meanwhile, the median existing-home price hit $208,000 in May, the highest since 2008, with low inventory supporting prices. The median price is up 15.4% from the same period in the prior year, the largest growth since 2005. Economists polled by MarketWatch ... (full story)